A Heart's Rain
by Aoi Kazuya
Summary: YukimuraXOC Best friend since childhood, they always understood eachother. What could have possibly gone wrong?
1. The Gathering Clouds

**A/N: I don't own Prince of Tennis sadly enough. But then again, if i did it would never have been finished. I only own my OC. Have fun reading! Oh and sorry for not updating earlier. This is just like a filler chapter for my readers. I'm still stuck on my other stories. Physics is T-O-R-T-U-R-E**

It was illogical. Uncalled for. Impossible. These were the thoughts that passed through the minds of the Rikkaidai tennis team as they watched a girl, sitting by herself, _crying_ because of their captain. It wasn't the fact that it was a girl crying. It was the matter of _who_ the girl was. Kouta, Rain, manager of the tennis team…and Yukimura's best friend.

Rain was in the same year as Kirihara. A year younger than Yukimura, but she had known him since childhood. She could always be found on the tennis courts during practice, helping out here and there, but no more. She had come a few times since the incident, frail though. Eventually she stopped helping, choosing to just sit and watch. Soon, even that stopped. She frequented the courts no more. It was strange for the boys, so used to having her laid back presence around. Yet, Yukimura continued on as if nothing had happened, as if his best friend had never gone away, as if…as if she were still okay, still standing by his shoulder, waiting. But it wasn't okay. It never would be okay again.

"Hey, Rain. You coming down today?" Kirihara asked. It had become habitual, since the girl had stopped visiting, to ask her to. And the reply as always was a soft, melancholy, "No thank you."

Kirihara frowned, "You never come to practice anymore, the guys are getting worried."

"They don't have to." The girl murmured, "I won't be around much longer anyway…"

"What do you mean…?" Kirihara asked, worry laced into his words. Rain shook her head, "It's nothing. Just another useless thought."

Kirihara slowly left the room, barely catching Rain's next sentence, "All things end eventually…"

The next day a sense of discomfort wrapped itself around Kirihara's stomach. When he noticed that Rain wasn't waiting for him at the normal spot, it became a sense of foreboding. And when he got to school and saw that Yukimura wasn't there yet the feeling bloomed to cover every part of his being.

"Yo, bratling, you look like you just saw a ghost." Niou said when he noticed the baby of the team standing at the entrance.

"Where's buchou?" Kirihara asked. Niou shrugged,

"Hasn't come in yet."

"What about Rain? Did you see her today?"

"What are you getting at brat?"

By now the rest of the regulars' had gathered, "What's the matter Kirihara?" Kirihara's brain suddenly pulled back two sentences Rain had said the previous day,

"_I won't be around much longer anyway…"_

"Rain…"

"_All things end eventually…" _

"Akaya?"

"Rain!" Kirihara suddenly turned around and ran. His teammates hurried after him. They only stopped when they reached Rain's home. Kirihara was already pounding on the door by the time the rest of the team had caught up. Rain's mother opened the door and regarded Kirihara strangely, "What's the matter Akaya? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"No time!" Kirihara shouted, "Rain! Where is she?!"

Rain's mother blinked, "She's in her room…"

There was a thumping sound. Everybody froze for a moment, then they all ran for the stairs. "Rain!!"


	2. A Little Time

**A/N: Disclaimer: PoT is not mine...obviously.**

**Sorry...I 'm still adjusting to a new school, so updates are _really_ slow now. Enjoy this really short chapter.**

Peering into the rather bright room, it was hard to believe that the girl inside had been unconscious for a month already. Her friends dropped by everyday, bringing cards, and sometimes flowers/stuffed animals. They knew how much she loved animals. Mostly the stuffed kind. Because they were soft. And of course because they didn't hurt.

But, of course, she never knew. They would talk to her quietly, keeping her updated on the happenings in school. It was all very repetitive, yet calming to them, to be able to sit here with her, knowing that, at least, she was still alive.

It was during one of these visits that Kirihara snapped though, "He hasn't come to see her even once!" Yanagi glanced up briefly from his book and Sanada glared. Kirihara spoke softer then, "Shouldn't he be worried about her at least a little bit? They've known eachother for so long…"

"You're right." Was Yukimura's answer when Kirihara brought the subject up to him, "Of course you're right. But I can't."

Kirihara blinked, "Why not?"

"I promised to keep smiling for her."

Yukimura said, his gaze distant. "If I visit her…I don't think I'll be able to keep smiling."

It was soon after that she woke up, but she didn't move. There was no indication that the girl lying motionless on the bed was even alive except the faint beeping of her heart monitor.

"When do you think she's going to wake up?" A soft voice asked.

There was no answer spoken but shoulders were probably raised. The girl almost gave up her façade when she heard the despair in her friends' voices. But no, not yet, it wasn't time.

Suddenly the sound of a door being slid open split the silence.

"Y-Yukimura!"


	3. The Storm

A silence settled upon the room as the team's initial shock wore off. The atmosphere was tense as one group waited for the other to speak and the girl on the bed listened intently for the words she knew would come,

"Stop eavesdropping Kouta-san."

The girl almost winced at the sound of her name; he had never called her that before.

"What are you talking about Buchou? She hasn't moved once."

"I know what I'm talking about Akaya. I've known her for to long to not know when she's faking. And anyway, her body will force her to get up, she's gotten too much extra rest."

"Then what if she's sleeping?"

"She can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"She's an insomniac."

"I always wondered why she never fell for my tricks when I thought she was sleeping…"

The young girl finally got annoyed with the talk of her personal life and opened her eyes. She slowly sat up and looked at her friends. They stared back at her. Kirihara slowly walked closer to her…and then pounced,

"I was so worried!" he shouted.

"I can tell." Rain answered dryly. She looked over at Yukimura to see that he was smiling at her,

"Welcome back Kouta-san."

Rain forced a smile onto her face, "Thank you…Y-Yukimura-san." She stuttered out.

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**Disclaimer: I don't Prince of tennis**


	4. Explanations Pt 1

**A/N: Normal disclaimer. Sorry for my...impossibly slow updates.**

* * *

It had been a week since she had woken up. She was to be kept under constant watch in the hospital, so that they could make sure she wouldn't attempt to kill herself again. There was talk about having her see a weekly psychologist. She hated it all. Sometimes she ended up snapping at the nurses. Of course, that just made her feel bad later and she would end up curled up, crying, by herself again. Rain wasn't aware that her friends and family knew of her behavior. She didn't know that they were keeping constant tabs on her. All she knew was that she wanted out. And finally, she was granted her wish.

"Welcome home dear." Rain's mother murmured as she opened the front door and led her daughter in. She was cautious now, more careful to pay attention to her daughter. Rain didn't reply, instead she wandered into the living room and curled up again on the couch, still without uttering a sound. Rain's mother was worried so she went into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing a few numbers.

Soon the doorbell rang. "Could you get that dear? I'm busy." Rain obliged and uncurled from her position and walking to the door. She silently regarded it and then pulled it open.

"Kouta-san."

"Yukimura-san."

The two stared at each other for a few moments. "Would you like to come in?" Rain asked, her voice soft and slightly defeated. Yukimura smiled softly at her, "Sorry for intruding."

Mizuki, Rain's mother, watched the two teenagers from the kitchen. She wondered what could have happened, the two had been inseparable until recently. It was almost disheartening the way the two acted around each other now, "Are you sure this will work?" She whispered into the phone she held. "It's the best method for now." Came the response. Mizuki's brow furrowed but she sighed and murmured an okay before hanging up.

Yukimura looked at the girl sitting across from him. She hadn't said a single thing to him since she had let him in. It was strange, this silence wasn't like her usual ones. This one wasn't the comfortable silence that usually surrounded her, no this one was a silence induced by defeat, of sadness,

"Kouta-san…what's wrong?"

Rain's head shot up at his question, her eyes slightly wider than normal, and then she relaxed again…or at least as relaxed as she was before,

"Everything." Was her reply, "Everything is wrong." Then her eyes sought out his, "Why?" Yukimura understood that she wasn't asking about his question, she was referring to months back, and he offered her another sad smile, "Kouta-san, I…am not in any condition, nor am I in the position, to accept what you had said." Rain closed her eyes and let her head fall again, "Of course, sorry for asking."


End file.
